Platformized book prosumption on Wattpad: Reading and writing in the case of a pandemic diary | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 11, Issue 1-2
  • ISSN: 2042-8022
  • E-ISSN: 2042-8030

Abstract

This article investigates how readers and writers engage on the Wattpad platform. As examples of the digitalization of book culture, platforms such as Wattpad allow converging practices of reading and writing by means of collaborative community actions of prosumption in a data-driven environment of communication and cultural exchange. Following the concepts of prosumption, communities of practice and the platformization of media cultural production, I refer to Wattpad’s converging practices of reading and writing as ‘platformized book prosumption’. To understand how platformized book prosumption works on the Wattpad platform, I will analyse the reading and writing of the most frequently read COVID-19 online diary as a case study. In doing so, I will discuss the mutual relationship between author reflection and community engagement in social reading and writing on the Wattpad platform.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/btwo_00049_1
2021-08-01
2024-04-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Archer, Catherine. ( 2019;), ‘ Social media influencers, postfeminism and neoliberalism: How mum bloggers’ “playbour” is reshaping public relations. ’, Public Relations Inquiry, 8:2, pp. 14966.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Banks, John, and Humphreys, Sal. ( 2008;), ‘ The labour of user co-creators: Emergent social network markets?. ’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 14:4, pp. 40118.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Benkler, Yochai. ( 2006), The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, New Haven, CT:: Yale University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bruns, Axel. ( 2008), Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage, New York:: Peter Lang;.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Carr, Caleb T., and Hayes, Rebecca A.. ( 2015;), ‘ Social media: Defining, developing, and divining. ’, Atlantic Journal of Communication, 23:1, pp. 4665.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Cuccinello, Hayley C.. ( 2018;), ‘ $400M fiction giant Wattpad wants to be your literary agent. ’, Forbes, 24 September, https://www.forbes.com/sites/hayleycuccinello/2018/09/24/400m-fiction-giant-wattpad-wants-to-be-your-literary-agent/#30811c2c2aae. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Cunningham, Stuart. ( 2018;), ‘ Creative destruction in the screen industries and implications for policy. ’, Media International Australia, 169:1, pp. 515.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Davies, Rosamund. ( 2017;), ‘ Collaborative production and the transformation of publishing: The case of Wattpad. ’, in J. Graham, and A. Gandini. (eds), Collaborative Production in the Creative Industries, London:: University of Westminster Press;, pp. 5167.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Dijck, José van. ( 2009;), ‘ Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content. ’, Media, Culture & Society, 31:1, pp. 4158.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Dijck, José van. ( 2013), The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Dijck, José van, and Alinead, Donya. ( 2020;), ‘ Social media and trust in scientific expertise: Debating the Covid-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. ’, Social Media + Society, 6:4, pp. 111.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Dijck, José van, and Poell, Thomas. ( 2013;), ‘ Understanding social media logic. ’, Media and Communication, 1:1, pp. 214.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Dijck, José van,, Poell, Thomas, and Waal, Martijn de. ( 2018a;), ‘ Introduction. ’, in J. van Dijck,, T. Poell, and M. de Waal. (eds), The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;, pp. 16.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Dijck, José van,, Poell, Thomas, and Waal, Martijn de. ( 2018b;), ‘ The platform society as a contested concept. ’, in J. van Dijck,, T. Poell, and M. de Waal. (eds), The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;, pp. 730.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Dynel, Marta. ( 2021;), ‘ COVID-19 memes going viral: On the multiple multimodal voices behind face masks. ’, Discourse & Society, 32:2, pp. 17595.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Eckert, Penelope, and McConnell-Ginet, Sally. ( 1992;), ‘ Language and gender as community-based practice. ’, Annual Review of Anthropology, 21, pp. 46190.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Fang, Fang. ( 2020), Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City (trans. M. Berry.), New York:: HarperCollins;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Flatt, Molly. ( 2019;), ‘ Algorithms, trends and partnerships: The inside story of Wattpad books. ’, The Bookseller, 4 February, https://www.thebookseller.com/futurebook/algorithms-trends-and-partnerships-inside-story-wattpad-books-942486#. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Fuchs, Christian. ( 2013;), ‘ Digital prosumption labour on social media in the context of the capitalist regime of time. ’, Time & Society, 23:1, pp. 97123.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Fülöp, Erika. ( 2019;), ‘ Digital authorship and social media: French digital authors’ attitudes towards Facebook. ’, French Cultural Studies, 30:2, pp. 12137.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Helmond, Anne. ( 2015;), ‘ The platformization of the web: Making web data platform ready. ’, Social Media + Society, 1:2, pp. 111.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Jenkins, Henry. ( 2006), Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York:: New York University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Jenkins, Henry. ( 2013), Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, , updated 20th ann. ed.., New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Kaplan, Andreas M., and Haenlein, Michael. ( 2010;), ‘ Users of the world, unite!: The challenges and opportunities of social media. ’, Business Horizons, 53:1, pp. 5968.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Karpovich, Angelina I.. ( 2006;), ‘ The audience as editor: The role of beta readers in online fan fiction communities. ’, in K. Hellekson, and K. Busse. (eds), Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays, Jefferson, NC:: McFarland & Company;, pp. 17188.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Klinger, Ulrike, and Svensson, Jakob. ( 2015;), ‘ The emergence of network media logic in political communication: A theoretical approach. ’, New Media & Society, 17:8, pp. 124157.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Lakhani, Seema. ( 2019;), ‘ Diversity & inclusion at Wattpad in 2019. ’, Official Wattpad Blog, 17 October.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Larson, Christine. ( 2019;), ‘ Open networks, open books: Gender, precarity and solidarity in digital publishing. ’, Information, Communication & Society, 23:13, pp. 18921908, 10.1080/1369118X.2019.1621922. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Llewellyn, Sue. ( 2020;), ‘ Covid-19: How to be careful with trust and expertise on social media. ’, British Medical Journal, 368, pp. 12, https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/368/bmj.m1160.full.pdf. Accessed 12 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Long, Geoffrey, and Tosenberger, Catherine. ( 2007;), ‘ Gender and fan studies (Round five, part one). ’, Official Website of Henry Jenkins, 28 June, https://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/06/gender_and_fan_studies_round_f_1.html. Accessed 12 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Łukianow, Małgorzata,, Głowacka, Maja,, Helak, Monika,, Kościńska, Justyna, and Mazzini, Mateusz. ( 2020;), ‘ Poles in the face of forced isolation: A study of the Polish society during the Covid-19 pandemic based on “Pandemic Diaries” competition. ’, European Societies, 23:suppl. 1, pp. S84458, 10.1080/14616696.2020.1841264. Accessed 12 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Manley, Gabriela. ( 2020;), ‘ Introducing the pandemic diaries. ’, American Ethnologist Website, 27 March, https://americanethnologist.org/features/collections/pandemic-diaries/introducing-the-pandemic-diaries. Accessed 9 March 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Mayring, Philipp. ( 2016), Einführung in die qualitative Sozialforschung (Introduction to Qualitative Social Research), Weinheim:: Beltz;.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Miller, James. ( 2014;), ‘ The fourth screen: Mediatization and the smartphone. ’, Mobile Media & Communication, 2:2, pp. 20926.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Mocatta, Gabi, and Hawley, Erin. ( 2020;), ‘ The coronavirus crisis as tipping point: Communicating the environment in a time of pandemic. ’, Media International Australia, 177:1, pp. 11924.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Moody, Stephanie. ( 2019;), ‘ Bullies and blackouts: Examining the participatory culture of online book reviewing. ’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 25:5&6, pp. 106376.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Morgenroth, Roger. ( 2020–Present;), ‘ Pandemie diary’ (‘Pandemic diary’). , Wattpad, 6 May, https://www.wattpad.com/story/216832583-pandemie-diary. Accessed 21 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Murray, Simone. ( 2019;), ‘ Secret agents: Algorithmic culture, Goodreads and datafication of the contemporary book world. ’, European Journal of Cultural Studies, article first, pp. 120, 10.1177/1367549419886026. Accessed 21 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Nieborg, David B., and Poell, Thomas. ( 2018;), ‘ The platformization of cultural production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity. ’, New Media & Society, 20:11, pp. 427592.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Parnell, Claire. ( 2021;), ‘ Mapping the entertainment ecosystem of Wattpad: Platforms, publishing and adaptation. ’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 27:2, pp. 52438.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Perkins, Kathryn. ( 2017;), ‘ The boundaries of BookTube. ’, The Serials Librarian, 73:3&4, pp. 35256.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Ramdarshan Bold, Melanie. ( 2018;), ‘ The return of the social author: Negotiating authority and influence on Wattpad. ’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24:2, pp. 11736.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Ritzer, George. ( 2015;), ‘ Automating prosumption: The decline of the prosumer and the rise of the prosuming machines. ’, Journal of Consumer Culture, 15:3, pp. 40724.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Toffler, Alvin. ( 1980), The Third Wave, New York:: William Morrow & Company;.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Turk, Tisha. ( 2014;), ‘ Fan work: Labor, worth, and participation in fandom’s gift economy. ’, Transformative Works and Cultures, 15, n.pag., https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2014.0518. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Vadde, Aarthi. ( 2017;), ‘ Amateur creativity: Contemporary literature and the digital publishing scene. ’, New Literary History, 48:1, pp. 2751.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Wattpad ( 2018;), ‘ Wattpad raises $51 million in funding from Tencent, BDC and other partners. ’, Official Wattpad Blog, 17 January, https://company.wattpad.com/archives/2018-1-16-wattpad-raises-51-million-in-funding-from-tencent-bdc-and-other-partners. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Wattpad ( 2019a;), ‘ About. ’, Official Wattpad Website, https://www.wattpad.com/about/. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Wattpad ( 2019b;), ‘ Where brand stories live. ’, Official Wattpad Website, http://business.wattpad.com/brand-partnerships/. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Wattpad ( 2019c;), ‘ Press. ’, Official Wattpad Website, https://company.wattpad.com/press/. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Wattpad ( 2019d;), ‘ Frequently asked questions. ’, Official Wattpad Website, https://www.wattpad.com/writers/faq/. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Wattpad ( 2019e;), ‘ Support the writers that create the stories you love. ’, Official Wattpad Website, https://www.wattpad.com/paidstories/. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Wattpad Help Center ( 2019;), ‘ Writing. ’, Official Wattpad Website, https://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/categories/115001245386-Writing. Accessed 12 May 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Wenger, Étienne. ( 1998), Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Wong, Adrian,, Ho, Serene,, Olusanya, Olusegun,, Antonini, Marta Velia, and Lyness, David. ( 2020;), ‘ The use of social media and online communications in times of pandemic COVID-19. ’, Journal of the Intensive Care Society, pp. 16.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Yang, Guobin. ( 2021;), ‘ Online lockdown diaries as endurance art. ’, AI & Society, article first, pp. 110, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-01141-5. Accessed 12 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Stollfuß, Sven. ( 2021;), ‘ Platformized book prosumption on Wattpad: Reading and writing in the case of a pandemic diary. ’, Book 2.0, 11:1&2, pp. 13955, https://doi.org/10.1386/btwo_00049_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/btwo_00049_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/btwo_00049_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error